The Monkees rocked the house without lead singer

Age evaporated when The Monkees played the soundtrack to their lives as a 1960s band on TV and on records at the Mizner Park Amphitheater July 27.

A Brit described as a fit vegetarian, singer Davy Jones died suddenly of a heart attack in Indiantown last December at 66.

The lead vocal on such chart toppers as "Daydream Believer," this was the first concert without him on the "Midsummer's Night with The Monkees" tour, one of three stops in Florida. Jones' absence led to speculation why the Boca Raton concert wasn't sold out.

But by their opener, "Last Train to Clarksville," most of the seats were filled with obvious fans who knew all the words and a surprising number of young people.

Kathy Hagler wore a peace and love T-shirt and bought the tickets through a two-for-one offer online and brought her sister. She watched The Monkees' TV show "faithfully" as a child in West Palm Beach, and went to a free Mickey Dolenz concert there last year. "I'm not sure people knew who he was," she said about the mop-headed musician who now wears a hat on stage.

The band included Jones in cute videos and stills like fan magazine covers on a big screen that backdrops their act. But Peter Tork, Dolenz and the group's songwriter-musician Michael Nesmith didn't do a formal tribute or mention Jones until the end of the evening.

They brought up two young women who made a look-alike for Dolenz's famous poncho. The women led the audience in a sing-along of Jones' trademark "Daydream Believer" with him dancing away on the screen. No tears.

But with seven backup musicians and singers, there were 10 performers on stage, and musically the sounds stood the test of time. The group played one hit after another without bantering, including "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," "Mary Mary," "I Wanna Be Free," and other familiar songs on their playlist.

The music ranged from rockabilly to Beatles' style takeoffs and even disco, and had depth and variety, a musical answer to '60s critics who complained they were pretenders just manufactured for the TV show.

Monkees' fan Jim Weeck heard them in Pompano Beach last year, when singer Jones was still here. "The last time we saw them they didn't miss a beat," said Weeck of Davie. "I was transported back to the '60s.

Their music was different this time without Davy Jones, he said. "But when you can see a group and they sound the same, it's pretty much a gift."